Vitamin D Supplement Labels Found to be Misleading

According to ABC News, a new study conducted by Kaiser Permanente revealed that the actual amount of vitamin D consumers get from a supplement can vary greatly from the amount listed on the label. The study found that vitamin D pills ranged from as low as 9 percent to as high as 146 percent of the amount shown on the label.

Researchers tested 55 bottles of vitamin D from 12 different companies and one compounding pharmacy. Results showed that not only did vitamin D content vary among manufactures, but also between pills within the same bottle.
Currently supplements are not required to be regulated. Therefore consumers cannot be certain of the exact percentage of content in the supplements they purchase.

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, USP, sets standards for the quality and safety of vitamin supplements, and will certify supplements for companies that allow their products to be tested. The USP has declared that supplements should contain between 90 to 120 percent of the dose that is listed on the label. A verification mark is placed on bottles that have been tested and meet the USP standards.

The study found that less than half of the products tested, and only one third of the compounding pharmacy’s product met USP standards. However, researchers noted that manufacturers whose products were voluntarily tested by the USP were closer to the amount stated on the label than those that were not tested by the USP.

“It is very important that supplements contain accurate amounts of active ingredients, especially for those who take the supplement for health related issues,” states Diane Miskowski, MPH, Business Development Manager at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “EMSL Analytical, the nation’s leading environmental testing laboratory, provides USP monograph testing for nutraceuticals, supplements and pharmaceuticals in our FDA registered, cGMP compliant laboratories located in Cinnaminson, NJ"

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies.